Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Oscar

Say it OS-ker 2 syllables

Irish · “probably outsider, newcomer”

Loved in England and Wales and Denmark. Common in France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and 14 more places. Rare in Italy, Poland, Israel, and 8 more places.

1 in 97 boys born in England and Wales in 2025. Number 8 there.

Oscar in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 2, common in 17, rare in 11.
Oscar in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales8 (down)20252,7981 in 9772020
Scotland20 (up)20251571 in 125302020
Northern Ireland25 (up)2025631 in 131372020
Ireland3120251491 in 159312020
North America
Ontario (province)159 (down)202484about 1 in 7131522019
Quebec (province)137 (down)202547about 1 in 6181322020
British Columbia (province)70 (up)202342about 1 in 310852018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)17 (up)2025249242020
Victoria (state)112025282112020
Queensland (state)28 (down)2025138192020
South Australia (state)11 (up)202573162020
New Zealand21 (down)2025116192020
Western Europe
France48 (up)20251,0801 in 280762020
Netherlands90 (down)2025172about 1 in 387842020
Central Europe
Austria139 (down)2025471 in 8101372020
Switzerland83 (up)2025831 in 4341312020
Berlin (city)70 (up)202344about 1 in 352952018
Munich (city)77 (up)202516about 1 in 273902020
Cologne (city)141 (up)20239about 1 in 7091672018
Bonn (city)86 (up)20257about 1 in 4531042020
Leipzig (city)241 (down)20252about 1 in 1,4381542020
Rostock (city)172 (down)20251about 1 in 1,0471052020
Nordic countries
Norway50 (up)20251381 in 169712020
Sweden42 (down)2025243about 1 in 177182020
Denmark1 (up)202554022020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024982019
Catalonia (region) (as Òscar)225 (down)2025181 in 1,1501322020
Italy253 (down)2024561 in 3,3812182019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland213 (down)2025321 in 3,9502012020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Probably from the Old Irish oscar, 'outsider, newcomer', Oscar is an Irish name. It has traditionally been explained instead as a compound of words for 'deer' and 'friend', so the meaning is best given as probably 'outsider, newcomer'.

2 more paragraphs

Two syllables, OS-ker, give it a bright, confident sound. The accented spelling Òscar is also used, and related forms include Oskar, Oskari and Oszkár, along with Ossian.

Oscar is the leading boys' name in Denmark and a top-ten name in England and Wales. It is also popular in Victoria, South Australia, Sweden and France. In French records it has reached its peak only now, and it is rising in more of the places that list it than it is falling.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
OS-ker · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“probably outsider, newcomer” (hedged in the source)
Origin
Irish and Old English
Spellings counted
Counted together with Oscar here: Òscar.
Related names
Oskar, Ossian, Oszkár, Oskari, Oskars, Anscharius
Where Oscar comes from (Wiktionary)

From Middle Irish Oscar, probably from Old Irish oscar (“outsider, newcomer”), though traditionally analyzed as oss (“deer”) + carae (“friend”).

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Oscar. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Oscar over time

Rising in 7 of the 27 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 4. Peak in France: 2025.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Oscar in England and Wales: #128 in 1996, a peak of #7 in 2013, and #8 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #128, 307 boys1997: #111, 403 boys1998: #106, 488 boys1999: #87, 599 boys2000: #90, 611 boys2001: #77, 782 boys2002: #70, 836 boys2003: #62, 992 boys2004: #59, 1,093 boys2005: #55, 1,262 boys2006: #46, 1,523 boys2007: #41, 1,777 boys2008: #30, 2,432 boys2009: #23, 2,943 boys2010: #19, 3,035 boys2011: #17, 3,251 boys2012: #17, 3,289 boys2013: #7, 4,511 boys2014: #8, 4,269 boys2015: #10, 4,066 boys2016: #10, 3,894 boys2017: #8, 3,738 boys2018: #9, 3,459 boys2019: #10, 3,334 boys2020: #7, 3,268 boys2021: #8, 3,071 boys2022: #7, 2,883 boys2023: #9, 2,632 boys2024: #9, 2,747 boys2025: #8, 2,798 boys#128 in 1996peak #7, 2013#8in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996128307
1997111403
1998106488
199987599
200090611
200177782
200270836
200362992
2004591,093
2005551,262
2006461,523
2007411,777
2008302,432
2009232,943
2010193,035
2011173,251
2012173,289
201374,511
201484,269
2015104,066
2016103,894
201783,738
201893,459
2019103,334
202073,268
202183,071
202272,883
202392,632
202492,747
202582,798

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Oscar in France since 1925 were born in or after 2013. Peak: 2025, about 357 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 31.4 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 21.3 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 16.2 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 11.8 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 4.7 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 4.4 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 3 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 3.1 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 4.7 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 7.2 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 7.8 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 4.7 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 6.6 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 17.9 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 54 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 107.1 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 197.8 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 236.6 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 261.9 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 270.2 per 100,000 boys20202025: 356.8 per 100,000 boys20252025: about 1 in 280 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–192931.4
1930–193421.3
1935–193916.2
1940–194411.8
1945–19494.7
1950–19544.4
1955–19593
1960–19643.1
1965–19694.7
1970–19747.2
1975–19797.8
1980–19844.7
1985–19896.6
1990–199417.9
1995–199954
2000–2004107.1
2005–2009197.8
2010–2014236.6
2015–2019261.9
2020–2024270.2
2025356.8

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Oscar

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Oscar, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 913, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 76, Ireland

  3. 1 in 67, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 153, Northern Ireland

  5. 1 in 62, Poland

  6. 1 in 164, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 202, Northern Ireland

  9. 1 in 177, Scotland

  10. 1 in 85, England and Wales

All 40 brother names for Oscar

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Oscar's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 62, Poland

  5. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 137, Scotland

  7. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Oscar Jack

Syllables 2-1Initials O.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Oscar

Sisters for Oscar: Ava, Maya, Isabella, and 5 more
  1. AvaRose and fell with Oscar · Same generation as Oscar
  2. MayaRose and fell with Oscar · Same generation as Oscar
  3. IsabellaRose and fell with Oscar · Same generation as Oscar
  4. IvyRose and fell with Oscar · Same generation as Oscar
  5. ZoeRose and fell with Oscar · Same generation as Oscar
  6. SiennaRose and fell with Oscar · Same generation as Oscar
  7. LilyRose and fell with Oscar · Same generation as Oscar
  8. EvaRose and fell with Oscar · Same generation as Oscar

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Oscar

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Oscar's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Common across France, England and Wales, three Canadian provinces, and 8 more places.

  2. Common across France, the UK, three Canadian provinces, and 8 more places.

  3. Loved across France, the UK, Canada, and 19 more places.

  4. Common across England and Wales, three Canadian provinces, the Netherlands, and 12 more places.

  5. Common across France, the UK, three Nordic countries, and 11 more places.

  6. Loved across the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and 7 more places.

  7. Common across the UK, the Netherlands, three Nordic countries, and 17 more places.

  8. Loved across France, the UK, Canada, and 16 more places.

Famous people named Oscar

Oscar Wilde, Oscar Niemeyer, and 6 more
  • Oscar Wilde 1854 to 1900

    Irish poet, playwright, and aesthete

  • Oscar Niemeyer 1907 to 2012

    Brazilian architect

  • Óscar Arias born 1941

    President of Costa Rica (1986–1990, 2006–2010)

  • Oscar Luigi Scalfaro 1918 to 2012

    9th President of Italy

  • Oscar II 1829 to 1907

    King of Sweden from 1872 to 1907 and Norway from 1872 to 1905

  • Oscar born 1991

    Brazilian association football player

  • Oscar I of Sweden 1799 to 1859

    King of Sweden and Norway between 1844–1859

  • Óscar Romero 1917 to 1980

    Salvadoran Catholic archbishop and saint

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Oscar

How popular is Oscar in England and Wales?

Oscar ranked #8 in England and Wales in 2025, given to 2,798 boys, about 1 in 97.

Is Oscar rising in popularity?

In some places: it is rising in more of them than it is falling. Rising in 7 of the 27 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 4. Rising in: Scotland, Poland, France, Norway, Cologne, and 2 other regions.

What does Oscar mean?

Oscar means “probably outsider, newcomer”, according to Wiktionary. The dictionary itself marks this meaning as uncertain.

How many syllables does Oscar have?

Oscar has 2 syllables: OS-ker.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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